1. But that on good ground are those who, hearing the
THE SUNDAY SERMONS OF ST. BONAVENTURE
SERMON 13: SECOND SUNDAY BEFORE LENT
1. But that on good ground are those who, hearing the word with a right and good heart, retain it and bear fruit in patience. Luke 8:15.
[Protheme] Give an occasion to the wise, and he will become even wiser. Proverbs 9:9. In the words proposed from Proverbs, three things are described that are necessary for whoever wishes to propose the word of God.
And the first is liberality of soul, the second is brevity of speech, and the third is the promise of usefulness. Liberality of soul is noted, therefore, when it says: Give, that is, do not sell for a price or barter, for according to the Lord:
Freely you have received, freely give.2" Brevity in speech is noted, when occasion is added, since a specific opportunity is given to those listening when they announce "vices and virtues with few with brief words, because the Lord used few words on earth;"* and the promise of usefulness is noted when it includes: and he will become even wiser. Dearly beloved, let us ask the Lord then, at the beginning of our sermon, to give us liberality of soul and brevity in speech, so that we may obtain the promised usefulness. Amen.
[Sermon] 2. But that on good ground are those who, hearing the word with a right and good heart, retain it and bear fruit in patience. Since according to blessed
205 See Matt 10:8.
»°6 See Rule of the Friars Minor, chapter 9 in FA:ED, vol. L105:
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Gregory in Book Twenty-Five of his Moralia, "Humility opens while pride hides the light of understanding;"2"" our Lord Jesus Christ, who knew what was pleasing before God the Father," announced the kingdom of God in parables to proud and vain people in order to reprimand their proud intellects for listening without understanding; however, he opened the parable in today's Gospel to his humble disciples who were given to understand the mysteries of God's kingdom," when he said in the proposed words which are the concluding explanation of the stated parable: But that on good ground are those who, hearing the word with a right and good heart, retain it and bear fruit in patience, etc. In this passage he certainly proceeds in an orderly manner for, just as we see, the material ground brings forth fruit only after it is prepared and seeded. Only then can fruits be harvested from it: thus in the proposed passage the preparation required for our hearts is noted first, second the firm acceptance of the divine seed, and then third the fruit that matures in due time from the seed. First, then, the necessary preparation of our hearts is noted, when it says: But that on good ground; this good ground is nothing other than a good preparation of our hearts. Second, the firm acceptance of the divine seed is noted when it says: those who, hearing the word with a right and good heart, retain it. Third, the timely maturation of the fruit is noted, when it adds: and bear fruit in patience, since they patiently suffer persecution and all manner of interior and exterior evil for the sake of God's word.
207 See Book XXV, c. 12 n. 30 of Gregory's Moralia in Iob in CCSL cxliiib, 1256. The citation is verbatim.
208 See Matt 11:26.
209 See Mark 4:11.
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3. First, in the proposed passage the required preparation of our hearts is noted, when it says: But that on good ground. We must prepare our hearts, which Christ describes metaphorically as good ground, like material ground. That material ground is then well prepared to bring forth fruit when, first, the harmful roots are extracted; second, when irrigated with rainwaters, third, when exposed to the heat of the sun, so that warmed by the life-giving heat of the sun, the sown seed may germinate. If we want our heart to be well prepared in this manner and disposed for the fruit of good works, it must be rid of the thorns of every sin, second, irrigated with the waters of tearful compunction, third, inflamed with the fire of divine desires, so that enlivened by their heat, it may germinate the word of God, which is received and retained, thus producing the fruit of good works.
4. First, the harmful roots of sin must be extracted from the ground of our hearts. Whence Proverbs 12:11 states: He who tills the land will be satisfied with bread, but the one who pursues idleness is most foolish. He who tills the land of his own conscience, by removing the briar bushes of vice from it with the sword of sharp compunction, by rooting out the thorns of sin with practice of perfect confession, and by removing the nettles of evil desires with the exercise of discipline and mortification, will be satisfied with the bread of good works. The one who pursues idleness and allows it to become sterile with the thorn of vices, the briar bushes of sin, and the nettles of evil desires is most foolish. For this reason, therefore, it is good to till your ground so you may bring forth bread from the earth and the wine that gladdens the human heart as Psalm 103:14 states. Thus, you bring forth the bread of good works from the earth of your own conscience for refreshment; and wine from interior devotion for happiness.
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5. Second, the ground of our hearts must be irrigated with the rain waters of tearful compunction. Whence
Judges 1:15 says: Give me a blessing, for you have given me dry ground, and give me a land irrigated with water.
The faithful soul knows from experience that the abundant effusion of tears and affluent compunction of heart does not come from the self, but from God; therefore, it asks God for a healing blessing: Give me a blessing, and I will irrigate the dry ground of conscience with the waters of tearful compunction. This concurs with what is said in Psalm 142:6: My soul is like waterless ground before you. Answer me quickly because my spirit is fainting away. Faithful David, recognizing that his soul was like dry ground and unable to produce the fruit of good works without the water of tearful compunction and the inundation of mental devotion, asked this from the Lord with persistent, devout prayer, saying: Answer me quickly with the inundation of interior devotion and exterior tears; because my spirit is fainting away due to the aridity of internal devotion and ardor of earthly affection.
6. Third, the ground of our heart must be inflamed with the fire of divine desires. Whence Sirach 43:2 says:
The sun comes forth, proclaiming in appearance, what a marvelous instrument it is, the work of the Most High; at noon he scorches the earth. The Sun of justice, our Lord Jesus Christ, who possesses the inner appearance of beauty due to his divinity, and exterior beauty due to his humanity, is a marvelous instrument because he contained within incomprehensible divinity; in fact in his body dwells the plentitude of divinity.?'° He is said to be the work of the Most High, for even though the Most High Lord forms everyone by assisting nature, nevertheless the Most High
Lord especially formed Christ by working beyond nature.
210 See Col 2:9.
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Here certainly at noon he scorches the earth, that is, our hearts, when they are most ardently desirous of him.
7. It follows: those who, hearing the word with a right and good heart, retain it, where the firm acceptance of the divine word is noted. In order for the word of God to bear fruit within the one who listens, it is necessary to follow the instruction of today's Gospel and first, reverently receive it by listening with a quiet mind, second, firmly retain it by believing with steadfast union, and then, third, diligently understand it with the execution of works.
8. First, the word of God must be received with reverence by listening with a quiet mind, because the Lord says in the gospel for today: And that which fell among the thorns, these are those who heard and going along they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and they do not bear fruit.?41 Whence Gregory in Book
Eighteen of the Moralia: "The perturbed minds of the worldly call out because of this, as they are uneasy, separated from divine wisdom.""!2 Something similar is stated in Book Twenty-Three of the Moralia: "We do not know the secrets of God, unless we come alive with virtuous desires, because a vivacious mind penetrates the words of God when it allows itself to be closed off to the tumult of worldly concerns;" indeed, the words of the wise are heard in silence.?3 Mary Magdalene attended to this, for according to Luke 10:39, she: Sat at the feet of the Lord, and listened to his words; sat with a tranquil mind, not disturbed by distractions of the heart, because as Gregory says in Book Eighteen of the Moralia: "One desirous of 211 See Luke 8:14.
*12 See Book XVIII, c. 43 n. 70 of Gregory's Moralia in Iob in CCSL cxliiia, 937. The citation is almost verbatim.
"8 Bonaventure has adapted Book XXIII, c. 20 n. 37 of Gregory's Moralia in Iob. See CCSL exliiib, 1172.
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wisdom needs to be relieved of cares and distractions,"2" for indeed one who refrains from activity will receive wisdom;"° at the feet of the Lord, with a humble heart, because a "proud mind is an obstacle to the truth since it blinds whoever it puffs up;"2° She listened to his words, with attentive hearing, forgetting the people of Judah, and the home of her father,?"" the devil, by imitation.
9. Second, it must be firmly retained by believing with steadfast adhesion. Whence the Lord speaks of those who do not retain it well in Luke 8:13: Now those upon the rock are they who, when they have heard, receive the word with Joy; and they have no roots for although they believed for awhile, they fell away in the time of temptation. But concerning those who firmly believed, that is who retained, he continues saying: But that on good ground are those who, hearing the word with a right and good heart, retain it and bear fruit in patience,"'* because they patiently sustain persecutions and all manner of evil punishment for the sake of God's word.
10. Third, it must be understood diligently with the execution of works because Matthew 13:19 speaks of those who have neglected transferring into works what they have heard: Anyone who hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the devil comes and seizes what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the road. But in regard to those who understood
214 Bonaventure adapts Book XVIII, c. 43 n. 68 of Gregory's Moralia in Iob. See CCSL cxliii, 934. It should be noted that Luke does not refer to Mary in 10:38-42 as Mary of Magdala.
215 See Sir 38:25.
216 See Book XXIII, c. 17 n. 31 of Gregory's Moralia in Iob in CCSL cxliiia, 1167. The citation is almost verbatim.
217 See Ps 44:11: "Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline your ear and forget your people and the home of your father."
218 See Luke 8:15.
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with the execution of works, he continues saying: And the one sown on the good ground, that is the one who hears the word and understands and bears fruit; in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty-fold, and in another, thirtyfold.2"® The word is sown on good earth when what is understood is completed in works; now the word bears fruit thirty-fold in the married, sixty-fold in the continent, but a hundredfold in virgins. The merit of the married is understood with the number thirty because it comes from three and ten, since the married have faith in the Trinity and keep the ten commandments of the law. However the number sixty is understood as the merit of the continent because it comes from six and ten, as they must adhere to the ten commandments of the law but they also perform the six works of mercy, contained in this verse: "I visit, give drink, feed, redeem, cloth, shelter, put away."""° The continent should visit the sick, feed and provide drink for the needy, redeem captives, cloth the naked, shelter pilgrims, and put away, that is, bury the dead. The merit of virgins is designated as a hundred by reason of their perfection. Whence this hundred, and the subsequent reason for its perfection, can be calculated by the right hand."*! Nevertheless to better clarify the proposed word, and why the Lord chose this number and not another to explain the merits of these three states, one should not overlook what the experts in the art of computation have to say, because this will show both a skillful and unique appropriation of numbers for merit.222 The number of fin219 See Matt 13:23.
*° Bonaventure employs this traditional verse to interpret Luke 11:41. See Bonaventure's Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Chapters
9-16, 1111.
721 See the note in the critical edition of the Sermones dominicales on the complexity of these verses.
*? Much of Bonaventure's discussion in this paragraph is dependent upon Venerable Bede, De temporum ratione. See PL 90:295C297A.
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gers comes from the five fingers of the hand which the experts in the art call the thumb, index, middle, curative, and ear finger. For the sake of brevity I will omit why they are named in this order. The ear or little finger signifies unity when placed flat or bent on the palm. While the curative, when placed alongside the little finger on the palm, signifies duality with the ear finger. Certainly the middle, which is between the other fingers, signifies trinity when placed in the same manner with the previously mentioned two fingers. One cannot precede further in this manner. Instead the ear standing and the middle and curative lying flat signifies quaternary. The middle on the palm with the ear and curative erect signifies five.
The curative and the ear lying flat with the middle erect signify six. Likewise the ear extended upon the palm signifies seven. The curative signifies eight when extended in the same manner. The middle, however, signifies nine when similarly extended. The index placed in the middle of the thumb signifies ten. The index placed directly to the thumb signifies twenty. Thirty is signified when the tender parts of index and thumb are squeezed together with their tips touching. The Lord expressed the merit of the married through such a fitting number due to their soft embrace and carnal union. The index firmly bent over the thumb in the shape of a cross indeed signifies sixty.
The merit of the continent, whose lives are protected from the voluptuous delights of the flesh by the imposition of reason on sensuality through the voluntary acceptance of the cross, is easily understood by this number. But the number hundred, due to its perfection is counted on the right hand, elegantly expresses the merit of virginity by reason of its perfection, since virgins lead an angelic and celestial life to the degree they are able.
11. Third, the timely maturation of the received seed is noted in the proposed passage, when it says: and bear
THE SUNDAY SERMONS OF ST. BONAVENTURE
fruit in patience. Now those who first purged the heart from the thorns of all sin and reverently received the word with a quiet mind, bear the beautiful fruit of purity from adorning cleanliness. Second, those who filled the heart with the waters of tearful compunction and retained the word by firm belief bear the useful fruit of clarity from illuminating understanding. Third, those who inflamed the heart with the fire of divine desires and diligently understood the word through the execution of works bear the delightful fruit of sweet, divine familiarity. And such fruit is the optimum, because it is beautiful in appearance, useful in affect, and delicious in taste.
12. First, those who purged the heart from the thorns of all sin and reverently received the word with a quiet mind, bear the beautiful fruit of purity that issues from adorning cleanliness. Whence Proverbs 3:14 says: Its acquisition is better than the merchandise of silver and gold, its fruit, the purest. In the avid acquisition of gold and silver, greedy and avaricious people are made worse, for they are abominable before God and the angels and even to demons, whom they resemble in detestable blame.
However, in the acquisition of adorning cleanliness, which consists in the unity of grace and the trinity of the theological virtues, namely faith, hope, and charity, the soul is rendered loveable to God, desirable to the angels, and likewise terrible to the demons. This is why the acquisition of cleansing purity is better than the acquisition of silver and gold. Since it is through the purity of heart that the soul begins to produce clean and acceptable fruit to God, they are called his first and purest fruit. Divine wisdom loves the souls possessing this cleansing purity so much that it appropriates all its works to itself and names them divine fruits, according to what Sirach 39:17 says: Hear me divine offspring, and flower like the roses planted by a stream of water. Whence those who possess
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this pure cleanliness in thought, affection, and speech, are totally transformed by God into the form of God and beauty of grace, such that they are rendered godlike in hoping, thinking, tasting, and speaking, and thus named divine offspring. And this it is similar to roses, which neither produce the pleasing adornment of cleanliness nor preserve the fragrant fruit of interior chastity in the heart and exterior chastity in the body, unless they are among the thorns of sharp, disciplining penance; therefore it says: roses planted by a stream of water,2"* that is divine influence, flower with the fruit of light and honesty in all justice and truth.?4
13. Second, those who filled the heart with the waters of tearful compunction and retained the word by firm belief bear the useful fruit of clarity from illuminating understanding. Whence Psalm 1:2-3 says: His will was in the law of the Lord, and he will meditate upon his law day and night. He will be like the tree planted near running waters, which will bring forth fruit in due season. First of all, the preacher must apply the will to the divine law, so that he completes with works what he understands; and then meditate upon his law day and night, just as he ought to instruct others; for then he will be like the tree planted near running waters, that is of divine influence, which will bring forth fruit in due season. But many, however, give the fruit of others and not theirs, because they wish to impose grave and unbearable burdens on the backs of others, while they do not wish to lift a finger to move them." Still others offer fruit that is not in due season, but before its time, because they wish to teach with 223 See Sir 39:17: " ... hear me, you divine offspring, and bud forth as the rose planted by the brooks of waters."
224 See Eph 5:9: "for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and justice and truth."
225 See Matt 23:4.
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their own authority before they learn, and as a result, their word, due to scandal, ignorance, and an evil life, dissipates in vanity because it is held in contempt by the listeners: "The preaching of whosoever leads a despicable life is condemned."""° 14. Third, those who inflamed the heart with the fire of divine desires and diligently understand the word through the execution of works, bear the delightful fruit of sweet, divine familiarity. Whence the Song of Songs 2:3 says: I sat under his shadow, he whom I desired, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. Under the shadow of grace that refreshes from the heat of carnal concupiscence, and from the ardor of destructive avarice; his, thatis, of Christ, whom I desired; with fervent affection J sat, by means of a quiet mind unburdened by mental distractions, because the one who refrains from activity will receive wisdom; and then his fruit was sweet to my taste, due to wisdom's delight. Let us ask, etc.
*® See Homily 12 n. 1 of GGHG in CCSL cxli, 82. The citation is verbatim.